


Insatiable

by WarriorofAces



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Miscellaneous OCs - Freeform, Skull is Cloudy in this, more tags might come later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-21 08:28:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17639315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarriorofAces/pseuds/WarriorofAces
Summary: "Skull had survived the mafia for over 30 years, struggled to keep him head over water and even with Oodako to cheer him up it was a struggle. Skull struggled and fought (metaphorically) to keep the last of his morals. Through the Carcassa, Reborn and Lal’s teachings, he had survived and maintained a relatively optimistic outlook.This though, with this he couldn’t turn back the time even though the time Never Happened. "





	1. The Beginning After

**Author's Note:**

> Whelp, here it is. The thing that I've been procrastinating my schoolwork with.
> 
> Shoutout to Foxtron, for writing some of the best Skull fanfic's and inspiring me to start writing again, and Cywscross, who is the best fanfiction writer I've ever read.

Skull had been avoiding the other Arcobaleno for months. He didn’t want to.... he missed going for lunch with Mammon and senpai was so very warm.    
  
It was just..... they made him itch. Ever since the Future that Never Was, he’d been overcome with unusual feelings. He’s been avoiding most people, actually.    
  
The Future that Never Was had been the spark to his soul. Byakuran’s conquest, defying him, and the subsequent fights and death has awoken something inside of him.    
  
Something he couldn’t put out though he was desperately trying.    
  
Skull had survived the mafia for over 30 years, struggled to keep him head over water and even with Oodako to cheer him up it was a struggle. Skull struggled and fought (metaphorically) to keep the last of his morals. Through the Carcassa, Reborn and Lal’s teachings, he had survived and maintained a relatively optimistic outlook.    
  
This though, with this he couldn’t turn back the time even though the time Never Happened. Skull knew he needed to give in this time. He was just so scared. Skull knew how Clouds were, what they did, but nobody knew what He would be capable of. The strongest Cloud. Skull outpaced the little Fon look-alike in flame by miles.    
  
Skull’s Cloud instincts were alive and hungry. The last time Skull was with Reborn, his senpai patted him on his shoulder and Skull wanted blood and to smother him in flames so he knew who he belonged to. Reborn would definitely not allow that, none of the Arcobaleno would allow themselves to be Claimed.  The purple flames within him desperately wanted to do just that. 

The Future that Never Was made him aware of his flames in a way he had been ignoring for decades; he had never wanted the mafia, no matter how much he didn’t want to die. Now, all Skull can do was clamp down tight and quickly get away from people. The twisting of his flames was getting hard to ignore

  
The bloodlust was the only thing from stopping him from being around other people. Everything that annoyed him before triggered his awakened bloodlust, and being around His Who Weren’t just made them  _ strain _ , and Skull couldn’t do that to them. Not His Arcobaleno.    
  
Skull just hoped that they would get the hint and stay away.

 

* * *

Reborn’s trigger finger twitched.    
  
“- and that’s the last that was seen of him,” Viper finished their report.    
  
“Hmph. CEDEF found less, those incompetent idiots,” Lal Mirch scowled, “How is he hiding from us?”     
  
“The Lackey isn’t usually that good, but we haven’t looked for him long,” Colonello fiddled with his bandana as he thought.    
  
They had been looking for the lackey for a week, and there’s been no public sightings of him. The Carcassa know shit, and even Skull’s airship crew hadn’t seen him.    
  
“Why would he even hide, Kora, there’s nobody in the mafia that’s going after him; he hasn’t done a mission for Reborn since he started training Sawada’s brat. We know Skull is still alive.”   
  
That was true, the Arcobaleno did know that he was alive. They could feel him, the bonfire of his flames just as intense as they always were. A stark difference from-   
  
“Our meeting in Japan.”   
  
Every head in the room turned to Fon. He hadn’t had anything to report, other than Skull wasn’t in China. Reborn’s finger tightened ever so slightly on the trigger.    
  
“What? We’ve seen the Lackey since then, Kora. It’s been months,” Colonello demanded.    
  
Fon hesitated a moment, before unfolding his hands from his red sleeves. “Five months since the event, yes. Thrice we’ve seen him since and none in the last two.” Fon’s smile was slightly strained, no doubt about to say something unpleasing. Reborn curled his hand tighter around Leon. He didn’t like where Fon was going. Neither did Viper, it seemed, for they stood up.    
  
“Skull froze when you put your hand on him, Reborn, and that’s the first time I’ve seen him balk at your touch,” Fon directed to him.    
  
The Lackey viewed him as safe, no matter how the rest of the mafia viewed their interactions. Reborn taught him and toughened him up for the mafia, but that never changed the fact that Skull was a touchy person. Even after the Curse Skull had sought comfort from the strongest. It was one instance where Reborn never doubted Skull was a Cloud, because he always gravitated to the strongest person in the room.  If it wasn’t him, it was Fon - who...   
  
“And you probably blocked it out, but Skull flinched the last time he handed you tea,” Reborn parried back, black eyes gazing directly at Fon, who lost his smile. Reborn turned to the rest of the group.    
  
“Skull has been hesitant, not touchy, and is avoiding us. This started four months ago or more. What else happened around then?” Reborn lectures.    
  
The group was slow to catch on but once one did, it didn’t take long for them to all realize what Reborn was implying. The Strongest Seven were pale.    
  
“Skull is frightened, he ran,” Colonello muttered, almost to himself but loud enough for the room to hear as he pondered.    
  
“What affected him so badly?” Mused Lal, the tilt of her lips making her scar appear even more twisted.    
  
“The Future that Never Was.”   
  
It was Fon that made this assumption.    
  
“Close,” Reborn shook his head, “You still aren’t seeing the larger picture. Viper, where was Skull last seen?”   
  
Viper typed away at their computer, pulling up the last location.    
  
“Mou - Turin, northern Italy,” they reported.    
  
“Kilometers away from Gesso territory”.     
  


* * *

  
Skull was in Russia.    
  
Being in his mother country soothed him. Though it wasn’t his main territory, it was familiar enough that Skull was more comfortable, the discomfort in his flames lessening slightly.    
  
He had kept an apartment in Moscow all these years. At first it was only because the familiarity the apartment held, now it was the city itself. Skull knew others would consider it his territory if they knew about it, no matter how Inverse they had considered him. Skull had managed to keep this apartment secret for the sole fact that he had bases all over the world and travelled between them often.    
  
Even with this familiarity, Skull wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold it together. His flames twisted slightly, prompting a slight shudder from Skull   
  
Skull wasn’t sure that even claiming the Russian capital would settle him. For how large it was, 17 million people and almost a thousand square miles, and how much flame it would take most Clouds.... Skull was having a feeling it would barely be enough to stabilize him    
  
There were two ways for a Cloud to claim a territory, over time or a rite. Skull had hoped, before retreating here to one of his oldest properties, that time would have been enough. Unfortunately, lady fate hasn’t been that kind to him lately.    
  
Skull didn’t want to do a rite. His little bit of instincts hadn’t been hard to control the last 30 years, he had enough control to not act like the stereotypical Cloud, but if the only way that Skull wouldn’t explode... If it was the only way to not maul his bondmates was to bloodily claim a territory, then Skull was mafia enough to go through with it. One of Oodako’s tentacles curled around his finger in comfort.   
  
Skull just hoped that it would sooth the itch.


	2. A Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Getting out of the car, Lal eyed the mansion."

The armored car gently rolled to a stop, the keys clinking as they were pulled out of the ignition.

 

“M’am - ,” the driver, a CEDEF personnel, nervously started.

 

“Don’t call me M’am,” Lal snapped.

 

“Commander Mirch, Sir Colonello, we’re here”.

 

Getting out of the car, Lal eyed the mansion. It was a typical italian villa, the only thing outstanding being the carefully cultivated white flowers and the guards standing outside. The thud of a car door closing was the cue for Lal to start towards the main door.

  
Footsteps behind her, “Lal! Wait up!” Colonello trotted besides her. She and Colonello had taken on the job of investigating why Skull had been so close to Gesso territory before he disappeared.

 

Reaching the entryway to the villa, the guards standing watch opened the door to reveal a red haired teen in a distinctive white coat.

 

“Miss Mirch, Idjit,” Zakuro drawled, nodding to Lal, then Colonello.

 

“Zakuro”, Lal greeted. Byakuran played his cards well, sending the Storm Funeral Wreath to greet them.

 

“You better watch it, punk,” Colonello scowled up at Zakuro, hand resting on his gun.

 

“Aya, I won’t do anything. I’ll be on my best behavior for Miss Mirch. Promise,” Zakuro said with a smirk towards Lal. Colonello’s arm moved to draw his gun. Lal would hit him if they weren’t in enemy territory.

 

“Lead us to Byakuran,” Lal cut in, annoyed. She can take care of herself; just because the teen had defeated her in the Future doesn’t mean he could do so now. In fact, she’d like to see him try. Colonello, the idiot, didn’t need to defend her. It’s what got him into this mess in the first place.

 

Zakuro turned to walk down the hall. “This way”.

 

On the short walk to Byakuran’s office Lal thought of the reason they were here. Skull had no reason to be near Turin, or in Gesso territory at all.

 

Entering Byakuran’s office, Lal prepares herself.

 

“Welcome,” the Don sated, purple eyes dissimilar to Skull’s.

 

Byakuran gives them a small grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

 

“So, _Arcobaleno_ , to what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

Reborn had, as usual, been accurate. Lal could feel a whisper of Cloud Flames and from his silence she guessed that Colonello had too. Skull had been there, not recently but… he had left a strong enough flame impression that it lasted a month after the reports said he visited.

 

Hopping up onto the desk, Lal gazed at Byakuran and once again cursed the Man with the Iron Hat. Interrogation was always a bit harder when you looked to be two years old.

 

“Why was Skull here?” Lal asked. Looking at Byakuran’s expression as she posed the question, Lal had to give him credit. He was certainly hard to read, but Lal was better than most. His slight surprise gave way to smugness. There was something else there -

 

“You don’t know,” Byakuran said. “You don’t know why Skull came.” Byakuran gave a slight giggle. Lal didn’t like the creepy bastard.

 

“Tell us what you know, kora,” Colonnello said. Byakuran didn’t stop laughing.  
  
“Hahaha. You *snort* don’t know,” Byakuran continued before his laughter died down. It came to Lal: Fear. Byakuran had been afraid. Of what? Lal knew that the Arcobaleno didn’t scare Byakuran that much. He had certainly knew of what they could do in the Future, and made his plans accordingly, but there had never been true fear like Lal just glimpsed.

 

Lal readied herself and heard Colonello take his gun out of his holster.

 

With a crackle and a flash of green, Byakuran made a motioned towards himself and the Mist illusion that Lal hadn’t taken note of disappeared.

 

A jagged, half-healed wound trailed from below his eye down under Byakuran’s collar.

 

It _reeked_ of Cloud Flames, of rage.

 

_Skull’s Flames._

 

* * *

 

Skull hummed slightly as he walked down the sidewalk. He was glad that his helmet had been enhanced by Mammon so people would ignore a two year old walking alone. Skull wasn’t in the mood for people as it was, he might actually hurt a civilian if one started fussing over him (and when had he started to call them that).

 

Being in the current crowd was enough for him. Even with the irritants of people, the flame within him twisted less with Skull’s current intentions.

 

In the light of day, he was walking in the park. Near the Red Square, the center of Moscow, was a large park. Zaryadye Park was centrally located, wouldn’t be closely surveilled at night, and there were already Vory present. ' _Thank you Reborn, for your lessons on how to spot a hidden gun. Of course, this is Russia, but there are more signs.'_ Skull almost wished that he could finish the rite in the center of the city, but it wouldn’t be good to have the Vindice appear for exposing flames to civilians. Zaryadye Park would have to do.

 

Location found, Skull wandered a bit. It would take some time to prepare the land for the claiming. His itch lessened the more flame he leaked; Skull was subtly soaking the earth with his flames with every step he took. Flame Actives wouldn’t be able to sense it unless they were exceptionally skilled - which the Mafiya generally wasn’t.

 

He had visited many parks within the last month. They were spaced throughout the city and rarely were crowded, making it ideal lay the land. Skull didn’t visit all of them, there were over 100 and the twisting of his flames limited the time he had. Walking the land, soon to be _his_ land, helped the itch.

 

Skull had one last obstacle to overcome. Moscow was a large city, and thus had a thriving underground. Though he wasn’t Mammon or even Verde, Skull knew who his target was.

 

Semion Mogilevich. The Russian Mafiya Boss and one of the most dangerous Pakhan’s in the world. You could compare him to the Vongola Don in terms of power.

 

Now, how did he lure the a Pakhan of that power - ah. His flames settled slightly.

 

Skull didn’t need to go to that extent. He was Arcobaleno, one of the Seven Strongest. He didn’t need to kidnap the Pakhan and bring him here, he could just order him. Mogilevich may not want to come but Skull wasn’t in a patient mood. He wasn’t afraid to use force. ( _He rather welcomed it)._

 

It was nice to be a Cloud.

 

After all, Mogilevich didn’t need to die. An appropriate.... gift to show that the Pakhan knew who the territory belonged to would do. That gift wouldn’t live to see morning, but that fact bothered Skull less than the itching.

 

To claim what was _his_ , Skull needed submission. Acknowledgement that it was _his_ territory, _his_ to protect, _his_ to claim. _HIS._ _So no intruders would **dare**. _

 

It’s not like he wanted to rule it. Mogilevich can keep that duty, Skull wanted none of that fuss. As long as the Flame Actives and Mafiya associates knew and didn’t challenge his claim would do.

The rite would take care of the first and hearsay the rest.


	3. Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skull gets closer to his claim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have no idea where this will end (though I have ideas).
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Skull sighed as he looked at the building in front of him. He couldn’t exactly go strolling up the walkway and demand a meeting with the most powerful man in Russia. Absentmindedly chewing on his lip ring, chain brushing against his chin, Skull leaned back against a mental block.

 

Just across the street, opposite of the rooftop he was perched on, was the penthouse suite that housed Semion. The man had the top two floors of the building for personal use, the rest was other wealthy residential units. Skull wouldn’t be able to get in through the roof, as the Don had a patio there. Guarded, of course. Skull, from his viewpoint alone, could see two men standing guard. Skull bit down harder on his lip ring.

 

He, the Greatest Stuntman, wasn’t incompetent. He had the  _ thirty years _ to improve his stunts, thirty years of observation of the best the mafia had to offer in terms of espionage and generally sneakery.  _ You wouldn’t be able to tell, but Verde was pretty sneaky in his own right. Reborn, of course, could induce a heart attack anytime.  _ This piece of Russian architecture was characterized by protruding window sills, perfect for Skull’s acrobatics. He was lucky that Seimon was a traditional man and opted for a more historical building rather than a modern high-rise. 

 

The high-rise would have been easier to get in unnoticed.

 

Standing up and stretching out, Skull walked to the staircase of the building he was on and walked down. Maneuvering through the building and exiting from a maintenance room, Skull emerged into the side street.

 

The long shadows of dusk covered his short stature as he quickly moved to trail a convenient younger woman with red hair who happened to be going past Semion’s building. He would be left alone by any that may have seen through the slight Mist on his pacifier ( _ the cursed thing wrapped around him like a noose, always leaving a cold tint against his flames)  _ as he looked to be a young child trailing his mother _.  _ No civilians would suspect anything, and no Arcobaleno would have been reported in Russia for the Vory to be wary either.

 

Carefully flexing his flames, not enough to be felt by others, Skull fed his flames into the Mist perception field. It intensified to an amount that made it so no one would notice him scaling a building with daylight still left - which is why he chose it. No Mist would be able to sense him with Mammon’s Mist covering him. The Flame Actives he had briefly sensed in Mogilevich’s, one of which was a Mist, were no match for any of the Arcobaleno, though they seemed above average.

 

Skull scaled the building, hefting himself up to a window before reaching and breaking the lock. That was sure to draw noise, but Skull was quick enough that he was well within the ornate halls before they would catch up. As he slowed to a walk and came to a spare sitting room, Skull stopped feeding the Mist his flames.

 

A Vor, a moderate Storm, surreptitiously glanced in the room before proceeding to enter, a gun drawn. As the Storm examined the room, his eyes almost skipped over Skull before freezing, eyes going wide.

 

“A… child?” the Vor questioned, gun pointed at Skull.

 

Skull gave a scoff. Honestly. Skull has purple hair and eyes and many piercings and looked to be two. The Vor shouldn’t be that thick, he works for Mogilevich. “Not quite,” Skull directed his flames so they danced in his eyes, everything tinting purple for a moment.

 

The Vor gained a slight pallor when he made the connection between Dying Will Flames and a ‘toddler’, but quickly gained confidence back. Mafia rumors said the Cloud was the weakest, after all. The Storm took a hand off the gun, gun steadily pointing at Skull, and tapped the bluetooth he was wearing. “Averin, reporting in. Cause of noise found, broken window”. Averin paused a moment, unsure. “Intruder found... The Cloud Arcobaleno is here. In the green sitting room”. The Vor awaited orders, listening intently to the bluetooth while keeping his eyes on the lone Arcobaleno.

 

Skull leaned back into the couch, loosening his grasp on the tight reign he had on his flames. The flame pressure around him increased.

 

Averin gave a jerk. His flames fought for a moment before they were subdued by the more powerful Cloud. The Vor’s eyes turned red.

 

Skull wasn’t exactly feeling magnanimous at the moment, patience running low as he waited to see Mogilevich. Skull tilted his head, narrowing his purple eyes at the Vor. His flames lashed.

 

“I am here to see Mogilevich.”

 

Averin lost the color he had gained at Skull’s threat. “Um, sir, the Cloud Arcobaleno is here see the Boss,” he spoke quickly into the mic. The Storm listened, then lowered his gun. It was still out but pointed to the floor. Not that it would help him, should Skull decide to attack. He was the Immortal Skull-sama, a gun couldn’t kill him. He would know - they’ve tried. He wouldn’t die, The Future That Will Never Happen proved that. And it will Never Happen, the little Vongola heir thwarted it and Skull ensured that the White Sky wouldn’t think of it again.

 

Skull lessened his flame around the Vor. It was only polite. After all, the only reason he was here was courtesy.

 

They waited together for a minute, neither willing to move to disrupt the fragile peace. Skull, an intruder into a Don’s home; Averin, a Storm that’s guarding his Pakhan’s residence.

 

A flurry of footsteps broke their reluctant peace. A suited man came swiftly through the doorway, full focus on Skull.

 

The man, a Sun, was holding his composure well against Skull’s gaze. Skull repeated his demand, “I am here to see Mogilevich”. The man gave a narrow look before nodding, gesturing for Skull to follow him.

 

“My Pakhan will see you in his office, Arcobaleno Cloud.” Hopping off the couch, Skull trailed slightly behind the man, looking at the residence he broke into. It really wasn’t a bad place. A bit too gaudy, gold gilding and peach paint. Too bright and not enough purple for Skull’s taste.

 

Skull centers himself in his flame. He’s going to have to be Mafia to win this battle. Will alone won’t make men bow. _ They had better be careful, Skull isn’t sure where his tolerance is anymore. _

 

The Sun knocked on the door they stopped in front of, a sharp rap of knuckles. “Come in,” a voice gave permission and the door opened.

  
Averin entering first, most likely to report to his boss as quickly as he could. The Sun vor’s arm made a sweeping gesture as he motioned for Skull to go in front of him.

 

Skull stood where he was. Skull felt his lip twitch as he turned his head slightly towards the vor, using his peripherals to look at him. Skull isn’t his to  _ order _ , and the vor must have felt that in his purple gaze and heaviness of flame as the Sun swiftly dropped his arm to his side. 

 

A smirk curled on Skull’s lip as he bounded through the doorway. Loser.

 

Skull came to a stop in front of a large desk. With a slight flux of flames, he jumped up on the edge of the desk. Averin, standing to the right of his boss, gave a full body twitch with a need to attack for insolence. Russia’s Pakhan didn’t even twitch.

 

Semion Mogilevich was an older man but younger than Vongola Ninth. A little pudgy and graying and had a well-fitted suit. He almost could have been mistaken for an average businessman, if it weren’t for those flames of his. 

 

An  _ almost _ imperceptible aura radiated from Mogilevich. Skull could sense it though, and it bothered him. None could  _ own _ him, and it was insulting that Mogilevich even dared have his flame emanating in the presence of Skull. An unbound element, Skull wanted no Sky.

 

Skull maintained eye contact with Mogilevich, who was holding his composure with an ease that spoke of age. Impressive, as the Storm to the Pakhan’s left was discreetly looking nervously at Skull’s glowing, purple eyes. The Sky flames lessened slightly.

 

“Arcobaleno Skull, what a surprise to see you in Moscow. Reports stated you had business elsewhere,” Semion Mogilevich, most powerful mafioso in Russia, spoke. In other words, Seimon was insinuating that the other Arcobaleno were looking for Skull and he had no business being in Russia. How wrong he was about to be. 

 

For all that Skull has kept residences in Moscow, they were not known to the general public. The house in the suburbs, his Arcobaleno knew about; it was one they were welcome to use if needed. The apartment in the city proper was known to him alone.

 

Seimon gazed steadily at Skull, not breaking the eye contact the two were sharing. Skull’s flame settled as would a jaguar in a tree. Reborn must have rubbed off on him a bit too much, as Skull was eager to see what reaction Mogilevich would have.

 

“Moscow is one of my frequent stops, you know that,” Skull started. Mogilevich nodded… this wasn’t the first time Skull had met the Pakhan though as an independent Mafioso, Skull had limited contact with him. 

 

“I have decided to make my permanent residence Moscow”.

 

There was a long silence. The room’s occupants focused on Skull, taking in his glowing purple eyes, small figure, and heavy Cloud Flames.

 

The Vor in the room, the Sun and Storm, were almost frozen in shock as they tried to comprehend this statement. A Cloud having a permanent resident meant they settled in a territory.

 

Skull was famous in the mafia for being a relaxed Cloud.  _ Strange _ , they whispered,  _ defective _ . Many think of Skull as soft, weak, for he didn’t exhibit any typical Cloud behaviors. As if the great Skull wasn’t one of a kind.

 

The greater mafia still respected Skull, simply for his status as an Arcobaleno. The title of The Strongest Seven meant something. Skull could send a room full of mafioso to their knees if he felt like it ( _ and he really does nowadays _ ), just by letting loose his flames. Skull was just known to not be inclined; not like Reborn and Lal who make men faint on a regular basis.

 

This changed things.

 

Skull just declared he would settle in a territory. As the Strongest Cloud, even one not well thought of, nobody would expect him to share with any other Cloud. At the very least, the Vory in the room knew that Skull would be establishing his own territory. 

 

The Pakhan barely paused, “In which district of Moscow do you intend to settle in?”. Mogilevich gave a short wave to the Storm, who promptly handed him a map. Skull could almost hear the gears turning in his head as Seimon figured how to leverage this new information. Skull had been the drifting Cloud for too long for anyone to think he would give up his wandering ways, but even so an Arcobaleno’s presence, even unsteady, would change things for Mogilevich and his organization. It was an unspoken rule, both knew, for Skull to come here and announce where he would be. Fon was known for doing that in China, as their top neutral enforcer. Arcobaleno were known powers and their presence effected things even when they didn’t act.

 

Skull watched Mogilevich spread the map on the desk before him, as the man looked at Skull. His finger hovered above the Western District of Moscow. The airport was located in that district and at over 1 million people, there was a lot there. Skull knew Mogilevich kept a watchful eye on that district due to the many foreigners. Having an Arcobaleno to mediate conflict would be a boon. Skull lifted a purple eyebrow in response, “Moscow”. 

 

The Pakhan composure slipped, pausing for beat too long before responding, “Moscow?” 

 

Skull’s smirk widened into a toothy smile, purple lips exposing sharp canines. “Moscow”, Skull stated again, agreeing. There was a form of primal satisfaction in watching the Pakhan register his claim.

 

The entirety of Moscow was a huge territory, far surpassing the old mafia legend of a Cloud who once claimed Rome. Moscow is double the physical size and almost 5 times the population of Rome in modern days. What Skull was insinuating was unheard of… but Skull was the Strongest Cloud.

 

Mogilevich brought his hands to rest clasped in front of him, gazing seriously at Skull. “This requires much further discussion”.

 

For the next hour, it was a dance of words and too much politics for Skulls liking. He couldn’t really afford to have the entirety of Russia after him though, so he had to play the game ( the next time he saw Mammon they were getting a hug ).

 

Finally, their negotiation came negotiation wound down with a few general understandings: Skull wouldn’t interfere or have any say in how Mogilevich runs his organization and Mogilevich would keep his men from bothering Skull. 

 

There was one last barrier -

 

Moscow already had a resident Cloud. “Part of the Western District, Solntsevo, is claimed by Sacha of the Solntsevskaya Bratva” Mogilevich explained. Skull knew there was another Cloud in Moscow. He sensed them while preparing for his Claim. “I will order Sacha to stand down”. A Cloud wouldn’t give up their territory for an order, but to disobey the russian Pakhan’s orders would be a death sentence. Both the mafioso knew that. Mogilevich was practically executing the Cloud in order to gain the favor of an Arcobaleno. 

Skull couldn’t  _ wait _ to begin the hunt. The Solntsevskaya Cloud would be a fun fight, hopefully. Skull could do to release some tension.

 

The two men finalized their agreement and Skull was escorted to the outside of the building. His excitement grew as his foot stepped on the pavement to the sidewalk outside.

 

Averin, who escorted Skull out of the building, almost leaned back in fright. The Cloud Arcobaleno was not like what rumors said. This infant radiated bloodlust and Averin didn’t want to be within 100 miles of the fight that was about to happen. The Storm got the short end of the stick though, his Pakhan ordered him to make nice with the Cloud, since he was first contact… and because Averin didn’t prevent him breaking in. 

 

Averin had a feeling that he was going to be seeing a lot of the Cloud Arcobaleno, especially since Boss wanted Averin to find out what the Arcobaleno was up to. For a Cloud to just settle down after 30 years of not claiming a territory was suspicious - especially an Arcobaleno. The cosa nostra shaped itself to the Arcobaleno’s whims, they were too powerful to ignore even if unaligned. Clouds were especially rare in Russia, as they didn’t take well to restrictions that were prevalent in the former Soviet Union.

 

There was a wild look in Skull’s eyes as he turned west.  _ The hunt was on.  _ Skull’s flames lashed in anticipation.

 

* * *

 

 

The pressure of the air lessened as the plane made its descent.

 

“Welcome to Moscow, travelers,” the announcer said, jarring him out of his thoughts. Taking out the phone, he checked to see any messages. There was one update from Mammon. 

 

‘Skull was in Gesso territory one month ago. Lal and Colonello are investigating’. 

 

He stopped his brow from furrowing. Skull shouldn’t be anywhere near Byakuran. After the memories from The Future That Will Never Happen appeared, the Arcobaleno made it clear to the former Mare Sky that they would be keeping a close eye on his actions. Skull was there that meeting in Japan, though - 

 

Motion in the corner of his eye jarred him from his thoughts. “Dear, do you need me to wait with you while your parents arrive?” A blonde flight attendant looked at him concerned.

 

“No, thank you”.


End file.
